Scarlet Fever (Scarlatina)

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

John Mersch, MD, FAAP

Dr. Mersch received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, San Diego, and prior to entering the University Of Southern California School Of Medicine, was a graduate student (attaining PhD candidate status) in Experimental Pathology at USC. He attended internship and residency at Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Scarlet fever facts

Group a beta
hemolytic streptococci produce an erythrogenic toxin that causes scarlet fever.

The incubation period for scarlet fever is about 12 hours to seven days.

Risk
factors for scarlet fever include overcrowding, especially with children age 5 to
15 years old and the communal use of utensils, towels, or other substances.

The
contagious period for scarlet fever ranges from about 12 hours after exposure to
the bacteria, even if the individual shows no symptoms, and during the acute
phase when the person has a rash and fever; it ends after the fever has gone
away for at least 12 hours.

The signs and symptoms of scarlet fever include
fever of 101 F or higher, a sandpaper-like rash, strawberry-like
tongue texture, and other features that are relatively nonspecific such as nausea
and vomiting, headache, swollen glands, and body aches.

The diagnosis of scarlet
fever is usually preliminarily made by the patient's history and physical exam,
especially if the person has the typical rash and fever; however, isolation of
streptococci from the patient usually provides the definitive diagnosis.

The
treatment for scarlet fever is antibiotics that are effective against the
infecting streptococci.

Complications of scarlet fever can include rheumatic
fever and kidney problems; other serious problems can occur rarely, including
death.

The prognosis of scarlet fever, if treated early and effectively, is
very good; such treatment usually prevents complications. However, if
complications develop, the prognosis decreases depending upon the involvement of
other organ systems.

It's possible to reduce or prevent the chance of getting
scarlet fever by good hand-washing techniques and by not using others utensils,
towels, or other personal grooming products. There is no vaccine for humans
against scarlet fever.

What is scarlet fever?

Scarlet fever is a bacterial infection caused by group A Streptococcus
bacteria. This illness usually occurs in a few people (about 10%) who have strep
throat and occasionally streptococcal skin infections or even wound infections.
Scarlet fever is also known as scarlatina; group A Streptococcus is often
shortened to read as "group-A strep" or group a beta-hemolytic streptococci (GABHS).
Scarlet fever is mainly known for its sunburned-skin-colored sandpaper-like
skin rash that is associated with fever.

Scarlet Fever Symptoms and Signs

Sore Throat: Virus or Strep?

Are you wondering if your sore throat requires
antibiotics? Strep throat, named for
the Streptococcus bacterium that causes the condition,
is a particularly severe form of sore throat that is best treated with
antibiotics. Strep throat can strike both children and adults, but only about
five to ten percent of sore throats are caused by a bacterial infection.

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Scarlet Fever (Scarlatina)

"Aches, pain, fever facts

Although a fever could be considered any body temperature above the normal 98.6 F (37 C), medically, a person is not considered to have a significant fever until the temperature is above 100.4 F (38.0 C)."...